Buchanan, McGovern Call For Nutrition Education Reforms at U.S. Medical Schools

Follows HHS and Dept. of Education Announcement Compelling U.S. Medical Schools Implement Nutrition Education and Training

WASHINGTON - Friday, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Chair of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means, and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Conn.) led a bipartisan group of 14 lawmakers in sending a letter to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to ask the Council how it will better incorporate nutrition education and training into U.S. medical education.

This follows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service and U.S. Department of Education recently announcing an initiative urging America's medical education organizations to implement and embed comprehensive nutrition education and training within U.S. medical education.

"As we work to combat the rising chronic disease epidemic, increased nutrition education is critically important for professionals working in the medical field," said Buchanan. "We need to ensure that medical practitioners provide patients with the knowledge and resources necessary to help them lead longer, happier and healthier lives."

"There is an overwhelming bipartisan consensus in Congress that medical professionals in this country do not receive enough instruction when it comes to nutrition," said McGovern. "I have met with countless medical students, physicians, and other providers who tell me they aren't given the right tools to properly screen and refer patients who are suffering from diet-related disease or struggling with food insecurity. I'm proud to continue bringing this issue to the forefront so we can improve lives, make America healthier, and save our health care system a lot of money."

Buchanan and McGovern led a similar letter to ACGME on April 25, 2024, urging ACGME to take additional steps to better prepare American doctors to screen and treat diet-related disease. Research published in 2024 documents that 75 percent of U.S. medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes, and only 14 percent of residency programs have a required nutrition curriculum.

Buchanan and McGovern were joined in signing the letter by Reps. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) and Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.).

Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for investing in preventive care to combat the chronic disease epidemic. In March 2025, Buchanan's Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), which expands treatment options provided through employers' healthcare coverage for Americans living with chronic diseases, passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote. In February 2025, Buchanan introduced two bills to promote preventive health: the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer.

Read the full letter here or below.

Dear Dr. Weinstein,

On August 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service and U.S. Department of Education ("the Departments") announced an initiative urging America's medical education organizations to implement and embed comprehensive nutrition education and training across multiple facets of U.S. medical education.

In light of the Departments' announcement, we write to better understand how the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) intends to better incorporate nutrition education and training into U.S. medical education-in accordance with and to support the Departments' call to implement comprehensive nutrition education reforms-to meet the needs of patients and the American health care system.

As you are likely aware, Congress sent a similar letter to ACGME on April 25, 2024, urging ACGME to take additional steps to better prepare American doctors to screen and treat diet-related disease. This call-to-action was preceded by the bipartisan House Resolution 1118, adopted in May 2022, which called for meaningful nutrition education in all phases of medical training, as well as the White House's 2022 National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, which highlighted the inadequacy of nutrition education in medicine and the resulting lack of physician preparedness to address the increasing burden of diet-related disease.

Given the long dialogue on this important issue, we are hopeful ACGME has implemented meaningful changes to medical education guidelines that reflect these lessons learned and respectfully request an update on those activities. In addition, we seek feedback on how ACGME has addressed any nutrition-related physician preparedness issues and how preparedness might be measured and publicly reported in the future.

In ACGME's response to Congress on May 13, 2024, ACGME noted the Common Program Requirements would shortly undergo a major revision, and Congress's recommendations would be considered by the Common Program Requirements Task Force. We respectfully ask for an update on the revision to the Common Program Requirements, and how, if applicable, ACGME has incorporated Congress's previous suggestions into this revision.

In order to meaningfully prioritize prevention and reduce the burden of chronic disease in the U.S. health care system, we must ensure U.S. medical students and medical professionals have the proper tools to identify and treat diet-related conditions, as well as educate patients so that they can lead longer, happier, and healthier lives.

We look forward to your response as we work to address chronic illness in America.